Namikaze of Lightning: Rise of the Storm
by Elemental Kitsune
Summary: Having been exiled after a sneaky maneuver by the Council, Naruto is told who his parents are by Jiraiya and Tsunade. With this knowledge and a new goal driving him forward, he heads towards Kumogakure, the homeland of his father. That is where a Storm shall brew... and the world will only be able to watch as it grows into maturity.
1. Farewell

Namikaze of Lightning: Rise of the Storm

Aaaaaaaaaaaand… Welcome to the reboot of my Namikaze of Lightning story! I know it's been a while since I put up that message telling you guys about this and I have to say that I'm really sorry for the wait. But I thank you guys for your patience and I hope that you like the rewrite! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I do not own Naruto because they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, I have a plan to change this. I shall transplant the Sharingan into my eyes and use a Genjutsu to trick Kishimoto into giving the rights to me! It's brilliant! Wait… I can't do that? What do you mean the Sharingan doesn't exist outside of Naruto?! Great… just fucking great. Years of planning ruined.

* * *

**Chapter One: Farewell**

The full moon was shining brightly in the night sky, radiating a luminescent glow over the village of Konoha. Surrounding it were tiny specks of white that riddled a blanket of darkness. It was a lovely sight to see, if anyone were awake to see it. Luckily, there was one such person that was able to as he stood in front of the two gigantic green doors that were the main gate that led anyone into the village.

His cerulean blue eyes glinted from the glow of the moon, partially obscured from the bangs of his spiky blonde hair. There were also three black, whisker-like marks on each of his cheeks, giving him a sort of feral appearance. He was garbed in an orange and blue jumpsuit that covered the whole of his body. To match it, the blonde was wearing a pair of blue shinobi sandals on his feet. On his back, he had on a medium sized backpack that contained all of his belongings. Or at least, everything he knew that he would need for when he left Konoha.

All he had to do was take one step in order to do so, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Konoha was the only place that he had called home and leaving would not be an easy thing. He had many memories during his life inside the largest shinobi village in the Nation. They were mixed between good and bad, with the latter making up most of his childhood. It wasn't until he became a shinobi did he really start to have good ones. And it was because of those very memories that made him want to stay. He wanted to continue to make more memories inside the village. So many that they would eventually drown the bad ones. There were still a lot of things that he wanted to accomplish as well, so many dreams and goals that he'd set for himself ever since he was a kid.

Needless to say, Uzumaki Naruto didn't want to go…

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could do about that. The Council had made that _very _clear earlier today. They had been trying to get him out of the village for years, not wanting to have a 'demon' such as him to be allowed to remain in a place they all resided as well. And, after all of these years, they finally succeeded. Naruto had been worried about that when he was still considered a civilian, but he thought that he was out of their jurisdiction once he passed the Academy and was a fully recognized Genin of Konoha's shinobi ranks.

But no one was expecting them to go behind Tsunade's back like that. It was a smart move on their part, Naruto conceded. As the Hokage, she would never allow them to cast Naruto out of the village. So they took a note from one of the shinobi practices of subterfuge and were able to achieve their goal. Then they went to Tsunade, surely with smug expressions on their wrinkly old faces, and told her that she was to have him exiled by order of the Daimyo. She tried to refute it but it was completely genuine. It also came with a threat of shortening the village's funding if the order wasn't carried out immediately.

With her hands tied like this, Tsunade had summoned Naruto to her office and do something she knew she would regret for the rest of her life…

* * *

(Five Hours Earlier- Hokage's Office)

"Sit down, Naruto," Tsunade told him when he entered the room, her voice in a barely audible whisper.

Naruto felt a cold chill go down his spine when he heard the way she spoke. In all of the time he'd known the busty blonde Hokage, he'd never heard her talk like that. It was why he felt extremely nervous as he went to take a chair in front of her desk. Along the way, Naruto noticed that his mentor, Jiraiya, was also in the room. The tall, silver-haired Sannin's face was like stone, revealing no sign of emotion from him as he stood next to Tsunade with his arms crossed over his chest. It was a little unsettling to see these two the way they were right now. Completely different demeanors from the people he considered to be very close to him.

No words were uttered even after Naruto had taken a seat in one of the chairs in front of Tsunade's desk. The pupils in his eyes darted back and forth between the two Sannin, waiting for one of them to say something. A few more moments passed before Naruto decided to end the silence himself, since they didn't look like they were going to do that any time soon. "What's going on, Baa-chan?" He asked his fellow blonde, mentally frowning at the lack of reaction to the nickname that he'd given her.

Jiraiya and Tsunade both looked at each other and then back to Naruto, the former sighing before saying, "Something's happened, Naruto," He said to his student. "Something very bad. And I'm not going to be able to take you on that training trip because of it."

This caused Naruto to widen his eyes in shock. "What?" He questioned in protest. "But what about Sasuke?! You promised to help me get stronger so that I could bring him back to the village!"

The Toad Sannin lowered his eyes in sadness, another sigh escaping from him. He turned his head to look toward his teammate. "Do you want to be the one to tell him, Tsunade-hime? Or shall I do it?"

She shook her head and broke the recent silence she'd been under. "No," Tsunade replied. "I'll do it." After that, she looked as if she were trying to steel herself. Naruto recognized this from one of the times he'd accompanied her while she went to hospital. She did that when she had some _really _bad news to give to a patient. And that was definitely _not _a good sign. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. You've been exiled from the village."

And just like that, Naruto froze. His pupils contracted and it felt like his heart had stopped beating. "W-what?" He stammered. He searched their eyes to see if this wasn't just some sort of prank to get revenge on him for all the times he called Tsunade old or that one time he got Jiraiya beaten up by a bunch of women he'd been spying on at the hot springs. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed away when he saw their unmoving expressions.

"As much as I don't want it to be," Jiraiya told him. "This is real, Naruto."

With it now confirmed, Naruto hung his head and stared at the floor in disbelief. Seeing what his student was going through, Jiraiya went over and put a consoling hand on the blonde's shoulder. It went unregistered, though, as Naruto's mind processed this. "Why…?" He was able to whisper out even while in such a state of flux.

Tsunade was able to hear it despite how low his tone was and answered. "It was the Council's doing," She told him.

Naruto snapped his head up to her when she mentioned them. That made a lot of sense. They'd been trying to get rid of him for as long as he could remember. A question popped into his head immediately upon learning this information. "How were they able to do this? The Council doesn't have power over the Hokage or the shinobi."

"That's true," Jiraiya stated. "They don't. That's why they went to someone who had even more power than the Hokage: The Daimyo of Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire) himself."

Following this, Tsunade nodded. "They've apparently been in correspondence with him for a while now," She started. "They sent letters at first; informing him of every time you would tap into the Kyuubi's chakra. Then they would tell him how I wasn't doing anything to keep you in control, which then led to them pleading to the Daimyo to do something about it. Knowing him, he probably didn't consider doing anything because of his indecisive nature."

A frown appeared on her face before she went on. "Seeing that they weren't going to get help from him by simply sending letters of complaint, a man named Shimura Danzou traveled to his mansion to have a personal meeting. I don't know what it was that he told the Daimyo, but he came back with this and explained there was nothing I could do." She grabbed a paper on her desk, stood up, and went over to Naruto to show him what was on it.

"What's this?" Naruto asked while his eyes skimmed over the paper.

"A Writ of Exile," Tsunade answered. "It's an order that can only be given out by the Daimyo if he believes it needs to be done. One of these hasn't been given out since the reign of the Shodai and is said to be even worse than being banished by the Hokage. If I were to do it, then I would've been able to limit the amount of time you could not come back to the village. With the Writ…" She pursed her lips, trying to keep herself composed and not begin crying. "I'm afraid that you won't be able to return to Konoha."

Naruto's heart sunk completely when she said this. He'll never see Konoha again. That fact made him clench his eyes shut, tears leaking out of the corners and streamed down his whiskered cheeks. All of the people he'd gotten to know over the course of his life, he wouldn't be seeing or talking to them ever again. He couldn't go to the Ichiraku Ramen stand and talk to Ayame and Teuchi while he ate his favorite dish. He'd never be able to train or go on missions with the friends he'd made when he became a shinobi. And worst of all, was that the promise he had made to Sakura about returning Sasuke to Konoha wouldn't be fulfilled.

All because the Council didn't want a 'demon' in the village…

Even after all he'd done for them, they were still convinced he was some sort of ticking time bomb that would go off with just the tiniest use of the Kyuubi's chakra. He thought that he'd proved himself when he saved the village from Gaara during the Chunin Exam invasion. Guess he was wrong about that. Their opinions of him would never change no matter what he did. They hated him because he was the one to be chosen to contain the demon fox known as the Kyuubi no Yoko. And there would be no changing their opinion of him because of this, even if he didn't have control over it.

"Why now?" Naruto queried, looking up at Tsunade. "If all they had to do was go to the Daimyo, why didn't the Council just get this sooner? Why did they wait until now to have me banished?" A sudden realization hit him, causing his eyes to widen. "It's because I failed to bring Sasuke back, isn't it?"

"It seems that way, kid," Jiraiya answered, straightening back up and leaning against the desk so that he stood right beside Tsunade. "Until then, the reasons they had weren't substantial enough to warrant a Writ of Exile to be issued. But added together with Sasuke's defection… it was enough to convince the Daimyo that you needed to be forced out of the village. They probably muddied the details to their advantage as well."

"They must've really wanted me out," Naruto lowered his head with a grimace. "Considering it's only been a week since he left…" The memories of what happened on that mission flashed inside his mind. Nearly everyone on the mission had been severely injured, with him included, and Sasuke had been able to cross the border and join up with Orochimaru. Yet, he was the only one being blamed for the mission's failure. That was so typical of the Council to use something like this against him.

The whiskered blonde was silent for the next few minutes. Jiraiya and Tsunade shared worried glances as they saw him just sitting in the chair with his head lowered, staring at the floor with a defeated expression on his face. Naruto slowly raised his head back up, his cerulean blue orbs shimmering as he looked at the two Sannin. "Where am I supposed to go?" The question struck them to their core. "Konoha has been the only home I've ever known. I don't have anywhere else…"

Tsunade instantly dropped to his level and pulled him into a hug, unable to take seeing one of her most beloved people like this any longer. She placed his head on her left shoulder and held it there as tears were now streaming down his cheeks. The sorrow-filled substance soon fell off of his face and landed on her green haori, wetting it. She turned her head to her right, looking over her shoulder so that she could give Jiraiya a resolute expression, tears of her own flooding out of her eyes. "We're telling him."

Jiraiya knew what she was talking about. He had widened his eyes for a couple of seconds out of surprise but then he simply smiled down at her. "It's about time!" His voice was much cheerier since he was happy to get to tell Naruto about who his parents were.

After Naruto had calmed down, Tsunade separated herself from him and stood back up. He was wiping the tears off his face with the long sleeves of his jacket. "What are you talking about?" He asked sniffling between his words. "Tell me what?"

"Your parents," Tsunade told him with a smile.

Naruto's eyes pointed upward at the two Sannin, widened in shock. He'd always wanted to know more about them. The Sandaime didn't tell him much about his parents. Only that they were very skilled shinobi that were killed during the Kyuubi's attack on the village the night he was born. "Who were they?" He asked eagerly. "And why haven't you told me about them if you knew who they were?"

Jiraiya frowned before he spoke. "It's not that we didn't want to tell you, Naruto," He said glancing at Tsunade. "But your parents had a lot of enemies when they were alive. If they found out you were their son, they would've come after you. And trust me… you're not ready to fight the people they would send to kill you."

"That being said," Tsunade added. "We're only telling you now because I'll be damned if I let you go without telling you about them. So you're going to have to make a choice after we tell you, Naruto-kun." Her face slowly morphed into a solemn expression. "We're not going to be around anymore to be able to judge your skill level. It's going to be up to you whether to keep your parent's identity a secret or not. You can make your decision after we tell you, okay?"

Naruto nodded at her, not saying anything so as to allow the two Sannin to continue. His hands were trembling as they gripped his knees. The suspension was starting to get to him and he was becoming anxious to finally find out who his parents were. One of the things he'd always wanted to know.

"We'll start with your father," Jiraiya said after a few moments. "His name was Namikaze Minato... the Yondaime Hokage."

The whiskered blonde was immediately stunned when he heard this. His mouth hung agape and his cerulean blue eyes were prominently showing from how wide they were right now. "The man who sealed the Kyuubi inside me… is my father?" Naruto asked them, unconsciously placing a hand over his stomach.

"That's right," Tsunade replied.

Now it all made sense to Naruto. Ever since he found out he was the container to the Kyuubi, he wondered why the Yondaime had chosen him. From what he knew about the Yondaime, he didn't seem like the type of person that would put such a burden on some random orphan. And he wouldn't ask anyone else for their child to be used either. He would, however, trust in his own son to contain the mighty demon fox.

"I… see." Naruto said succinctly.

_He took that much better than I thought he would_, Tsunade thought while blinking her eyes a couple of times. Jiraiya mirrored the gesture but was much more surprised because it wasn't the reaction he was expecting from the whiskered blonde.

Naruto noticed their faces and rubbed the back of his neck and let out a small chuckle. "I didn't really blame him," He told them. They blinked again. "Against something like the Kyuubi, there wouldn't be much he could do against it. I just always wanted to know why it was me that was chosen to be its container. So it makes sense now that I know he's my father. Who else could he have trusted to seal the Kyuubi within other than his own son, right?"

"Huh," Jiraiya said. "That's… an oddly mature answer coming from you."

The smile faltered on Naruto's face and a tick mark appeared on his forehead. "What's that supposed to mean you perverted hermit?" His eyebrows twitched.

Jiraiya held his hands up in a placating gesture but the feigning expression he had on his face certainly didn't convince the blonde. "Nothing, nothing," He responded. Naruto just glared at his teacher, wishing his hair would be set ablaze or something similar.

Fortunately, that's when Tsunade came in and bopped the silver-haired Sannin on the head. She was clearly annoyed if the twitching eyebrow and the frown forming from her lips was anything to go by. "That's enough," She said. "You two can bicker like children after we're done." Tsunade then turned to Naruto. "I'm glad that you don't hold a grudge against him though, Naruto-kun."

"I'd have to be a real ass if I did," Naruto replied. "I don't know what I would've done if I were in his position." He looked back up at Tsunade and Jiraiya, who was nursing the bump that had rapidly grown from his head. "What… what was he like?"

Jiraiya hissed in pain but was still able to give Naruto a proud grin. "Minato was a very talented and very strong shinobi," He started. "Even before I trained him he was seen as a prodigy. He was also very kind and barely anyone had a bad thing to say about him. Though, there were a few who were jealous of his skill. Both he and your mother were very happy when they discovered she was pregnant with you. He always talked about the things he wanted to teach you so that he could help you become a very strong shinobi." His grin turned into a sad smile. "It was way too early for him to die."

Tsunade had listened to this with a smile of her own, remembering Minato back when he first became Jiraiya's apprentice and how many times she had to heal him from whatever injuries he sustained during training. They were good times…

"I'm glad…" Naruto spoke softly. His face then looked like it was both excited and questioning at the same time. "What about my mother? Who was she and what was she like?"

"Her name was Uzumaki Kushina," Tsunade answered this time, thinking it was only fair for her to tell him about his other parent. "And I'm pretty sure you take after her from how eerily similar you two are." This definitely got Naruto's attention from the very interested look in his eyes. "She was always so fearless and headstrong, and her stubbornness would put your streak to shame." She joked to Naruto, who scratched the back of his head and laughed with a wide grin. "I was honestly surprised when she told me that she and Minato became a couple. They were complete opposites! But… they really complimented each other. Minato helped her calm down a bit and become much more pragmatic while she helped him be a little more outgoing and to have fun every once in a while instead of training."

Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest and grunted, speaking with a petulant tone. "You didn't want to get her mad though. Can't count how many times she beat the hell out of me."

"Well, you did deserve it," Tsunade retorted. "After how many times you tried to peep on her whenever she went to the hot springs..."

Naruto immediately sprang to his feet, jumped into the air and slammed a fist down onto Jiraiya's head. His eyes were comically white to show his anger.

The Sannin grasped his head with both hands, groaning in pain. He had another noticeable bump on the spot where Naruto had hit him. "What the hell was that for ya little brat?!" Jiraiya shouted at Naruto.

"Peeping on my mother!" Naruto yelled back while pointing a finger at the Sage.

"That was years ago! And it was research! Research!" Jiraiya emphasized but it never convinced anyone no matter how much he tried. Naruto was no exception.

"On my mother?!" Naruto shouted indignantly. "I'm going to kick your ass you damn pervert!"

Jiraiya held a fist up at his student. "Go ahead and try! You're a million years too early before you can best me!"

Before either of them could react, Tsunade hammered her fists down onto each of their heads, sending their faces into the floor. Jiraiya now had three bumps on his head while Naruto only had one. Smoke was languidly floating from the bumps, showing just how fast and hard she had struck them. "Quiet! Both of you!" She yelled, clearly irritated. The only female Sannin then huffed before she crossed her arms under her breasts. "Jeez, that's another thing you got from her, Naruto-kun, her quick temper. She calmed down when she was married to Minato but that temper of hers never went away."

Naruto and Jiraiya scraped themselves from off the floor, rubbing their heads lightly to alleviate the pain. "Did you have to hit so hard, Baa-chan?" The whiskered blonde asked.

She rolled her eyes at the question. "I barely tapped you," Tsunade replied. As they tended to their "wounds", Tsunade let out a sigh, her face becoming somber. She stayed like this for a few seconds before she spoke. "I'm going to miss this…"

Getting back onto his feet, Naruto matched her expression. "Me too," He admitted. His eyes met with Tsunade's, looking as if he was trying to speak but was having a hard time getting his words out right now. Luckily, he was able to after a few tries. Even if it was a question he really didn't want to ask. "Did… did the Council mention when I would have to leave the village?"

Tsunade nodded slowly. "They said you have to be out by dawn tomorrow," Her tone heavy with sadness. "If you're not by then… they will demand your execution."

"That soon, huh…" Naruto observed. "I'm going to have to start packing soon then. I'll need to leave as quickly as I can."

The recovered Jiraiya stared at Naruto in surprise. "What?"

Nodding, Naruto continued. "By now, the Council must have spread the news about me being exiled. And they would've told the villagers what time I would be leaving as well. They would try to give me their own _farewell _even if it is really early in the morning. I don't want to give them that chance."

Jiraiya and Tsunade both knew that he was right. The Council probably thought that he would want to spend as much time in the village as possible before he had to leave so they thought that he would stay until the allotted time was up. And neither of them would put it past some of the more… violent civilians to try something to get a last shot in at Naruto.

"Where do you plan on going?" The Toad Sage asked his student. The blonde merely shook his head and shrugged to tell that he had no idea. So Jiraiya decided to make a suggestion. "Well, you could always try going to Kumogakure."

Naruto scrunched his face in confusion. "Why there?"

"Right, sorry," Jiraiya apologized while scratching his cheek. "I almost forgot to tell you. Minato wasn't originally from Konoha." This definitely astounded the young container. "He moved here after his clan, the Namikaze, had been eradicated by Iwagakure during the Second Shinobi World War. Your father was the only survivor from the attack. Kumo had wanted to retaliate against Iwa but their military strength had dropped significantly with the loss of their most prominent clan, so they didn't risk entering the war."

He paused for a few seconds before he went on. "As a way to try and improve relations with Kumo, Sarutobi-sensei offered Minato asylum in Konoha. The Raikage of that time agreed since he didn't want the Namikaze to die out completely. So Minato came here and eventually thought of Konoha as his own home. He became a very loyal and powerful shinobi and would eventually go on to become the Hokage of the village."

Naruto contemplated on what he was just told, his expression thoughtful. "I could try to see if they would let me stay there," He said. "But that would mean that I would have to be public about who my father is. Would it be a good idea to do that?"

"In the end," Tsunade spoke. "That's up to you, Naruto-kun. However, I know that if you do decide to tell them you're a Namikaze, they will do their best to protect you. The Namikaze Clan was their most prominent clan at the time and was respected greatly for how powerful their members were. I'm sure they would put you through all kinds of training so that you'd be able to protect yourself from whatever is thrown at you."

"Hmm…" Naruto hummed. "What about my mother? I don't remember an Uzumaki Clan being mentioned at the Academy. Did she move here too?"

The two Sannin's faces fell solemn. "She did," Tsunade answered. "But Kushina's village was destroyed during that same war. They had been long-time allies of Konoha and were feared, as well as respected, for their aptitude in Fuinjutsu, or Sealing Techniques. A few enemy villages joined forces to destroy Uzushiogakure and most of the Uzumaki Clan. There were a few members that survived but they scattered across the Nation to seek refuge, some of them settling in Konoha. I'm sorry, but you wouldn't be able to return to the homeland of the Uzumaki since it no longer exists."

This saddened Naruto greatly. Both of his parents had been the last of their clan and now it was up to him to keep both of those lines going. He wanted to revive both the Uzumaki and the Namikaze but it seemed that it would take a very long time before the former could be accomplished. Kumo was the best option he had right now. With enough time, maybe he would be able to bring the Uzumaki Clan back to its former glory. Until then, he would take on the mantle of a Namikaze and see to it that his father's clan was brought back.

"I'm going to go to Kumo," Naruto stated, his mind made up. "I'll tell the Raikage who my father is and I'll do my best to revive the Namikaze Clan. And once I'm able to, the Uzumaki will be the next to come back!"

"So you're going to make the information public after all?" Tsunade asked. Her lips were curled up into a smile, having guessed that Naruto was going to do this.

He gave her a firm nod as an answer. "I know you said that my father had enemies but I'm not going to let that stop me. I'll just train as hard as I can so that whoever comes after me will know not to mess with the last Namikaze!" He grinned widely as he held up a determined fist in the air.

Jiraiya gave his student a similar grin and nodded approvingly. "Glad to hear it!" He looked over his right shoulder and took out a couple of scrolls that he had apparently been carrying in his pockets. He had storage seals on all of his pockets that allowed him to put many more things in them. The amount didn't come close to what a storage scroll could contain but it was still damn useful. One of the scrolls was colored red and had the kanji for "Uzumaki" inscribed onto the surface of the scroll. The other was similar except it was colored bright gold and had "Namikaze".

"Here," Jiraiya said while holding them out to Naruto. "These contain all the techniques, training methods, and fighting styles that Minato and Kushina developed over the course of their life. There should be a lot of Fuinjutsu in Kushina's and Minato's will have any clan techniques he knew in his. They're blood-locked so you're the only that can open them. Just smear some of your blood on the kanji and you'll be good to go."

Taking them from the Toad Sage, Naruto held them in his hands with a tight grip. These were from his parents. All of the knowledge they gained as shinobi were inscribed within these scrolls. He didn't know how long it would take, but he planned on learning everything that his parents had written down on them. He put the scrolls in his pockets before he looked back up to the two Sannin. "Thank you," He told them. "For everything."

Tsunade smiled softly at him before she spoke. "You're going to be leaving now aren't you?" When she saw him nod his head slowly, she kneeled down and gave him a deep hug. Jiraiya put a hand on his shoulder since he wasn't exactly the hugging type. At least not to people he shared the same gender with. A few tears leaked out of Tsunade's eyes as she whispered into Naruto's ear. "I'm sorry this had to happen, Naruto-kun. But I know that you'll make us proud no matter where you go."

"I will…" Naruto replied, making sure to hug her back as well.

Jiraiya squeezed his hand on the whiskered blonde's shoulder. "You're a tough kid, Naruto, but I want you to do this old Sage a favor. Don't die, okay? Tsunade and I have lost too many people that are dear to us and I don't want to see you be one of them. Got it?"

Naruto was able to grin at the silver-haired man, a trail of tears streaming down his cheeks as he did so. "Got it," He said. "You know me, Ero-Sennin. I'm too stubborn to die."

"I know you are…" Jiraiya chuckled, shaking his head. "Good luck, kid. We're all going to miss you around here."

"I'm going to miss all of you as well," Naruto replied, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes as the flow of his tears increased. Then he began to cry openly while hugging Tsunade tighter, the thought of not being able to see his precious people ever again being too much for the young blonde to bear.

* * *

Naruto gave the village he'd come to love and cherish over the years one last look. When his eyes started to shimmer after a few moments, he forced himself to turn away, lest his emotions overcome him once more. He'd done enough crying for one day. And even though he was going to miss his home dearly, he needed to focus on his journey to Kumo. Before he left, though, he wanted to do one last thing.

Reaching into one of his jacket pockets, Naruto pulled his hand out, his headband clutched firmly in his fingers. The metal plate reflected the light of the moon while the blue cloth it was attached to gently swayed along with the small breeze of wind that was blowing at the moment. It held a lot of sentimental value with him, ever since it was given to him by Iruka-sensei on the night he became a Genin. The young blonde folded the cloth behind the metal plate and placed it neatly on the cobblestone ground that surrounded the gate.

He stood back up and looked directly in front of him, at the long road he would be travelling along for possibly the next few days. Naruto exhaled sharply out his nose to steady his resolve. "Goodbye, Konoha…" He said and then began to walk away, the drifting sound of his footsteps being the only thing that could be heard in the silence of the night.

* * *

First chapter officially done! I hope you guys liked. You have no idea how many versions I've gone through until I was satisfied with this angle. It's much different from the original and has a more believable reason as to how he finds out about his parents and, I think, an original idea for him to be banished.

Anyway, if you guys could do me a favor and leave a review on what you may have liked or not liked about it, I'd appreciate it! Constructive criticism always helps me out and I always look forward to reading the feedback from you!

Thank you all for reading and I hope you stay tuned for the next chapter in Namikaze of Lightning: Rise of the Storm!


	2. Encounter

Namikaze of Lightning: Rise of the Storm

Wow! Glad to see mostly everyone liked the first chapter! Some of you pointed out a mistake I made about me writing the Daimyo was in charge of Konohagakure instead of Hi no Kuni so I fixed that. Also, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and favorited the story! I'm very impressed with the amount I've gotten with just the first chapter! You guys are great and I hope to keep you around with this chapter. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto in any way. I just use the characters to make stories for mine, and maybe my readers, enjoyment.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Encounter**

Naruto was walking along the long dirt road that seemed to go on for miles while looking at his map of the Nation. It was always a good idea to bring a map in case you had no idea of how to get to a certain country. When he went on missions with Team Seven that had them go outside of Konoha, they didn't really need to use a map because Kakashi-sensei would always know how to get to their destination. Now, he would have to rely on his own navigational skills since he was going to be alone for this trip.

According to the map, in order to get to Kumo, he had to go through two countries, Yu no Kuni (Land of Hot Water), and Shimo no Kuni (Land of Frost). He wasn't going to be heading to the first country just yet, though. The young blonde had another destination in mind right now as soon as he saw how close it was to Konoha. That destination being the homeland of his mother: Uzushiogakure no Sato. How could he not want to see it? It was where his mother's clan resided so it was only natural of him to want to go there. Besides, Shimo was right next to it so there wouldn't be much time added to the length of the trek to Kumogakure.

The path that he was currently on wouldn't take him directly to the Uzumaki's native land, so he would eventually have to stop and then start going through the trees. There was a perpendicular, dotted line on the map that stretched from the road and led straight through the dense forestation of Konoha all the way to Uzu. Naruto surmised that it was an old path that Konoha must've used to get to Uzu before it had been destroyed. They probably left it on the map for the more nostalgic shinobi to go and pay their respects to their old allies, seeing as how a civilian wouldn't be able to traverse this path without the use of chakra.

And given that he'd been travelling for a few hours now, he should be seeing that path coming up any time now. Naruto looked up from the map and grinned when he saw what he was looking for. He knew it was the right one because there was a sign in front of a very clear opening in the trees on his right side. He put the map back into his backpack as he got closer to it, the words written on the sign becoming much easier to read.

_To Uzushiogakure no Sato- the land of one of Konoha's greatest allies. May their souls be restful even though their lives were taken at a time of war. _

_Approximately one day of travel. _

At least he knew he was on the right track so far. Naruto pivoted his feet so that he was facing the path and began focusing chakra into his legs. With one single leap, he landed on one of the wide branches of the trees. From there, he noticed that the branches ahead of him formed a path similar to that of the dirt road he was previously walking on except the surface was wood.

With a grin, Naruto said, "Well, I won't be getting anywhere if I keep standing around." The young blonde then began jumping from branch to branch as he went further along the path.

He had no idea that he was being trailed at the moment, had been ever since he left the village. Two people wearing blank ceramic masks, each one depicting a different animal, were following Naruto along the trees, not even making a sound every time they landed. They were Root ninja that had been given an order by their leader, Danzou-sama, to eliminate the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. The warhawk knew that it would be useless to try and capture the blonde and convert him to being the perfect weapon that Konoha needed, since he knew of Naruto's incredible willpower and plus he was too old to be emotionally conditioned.

So the only other option would be to have him killed. Danzou would never allow some other village to take advantage of Naruto's banishment and try to take him in. If Konoha could not have its weapon, then no one else would either. The two ninja were merely waiting for the perfect moment to kill their target. They mentally agreed that it would be best to do the deed in Uzu. Then they could toss the body into the sea and make sure it would never be found.

And join the same fate as the rest of his clan…

* * *

(Nearly One Day Later)

Naruto had been going at a steady, fast pace most of the way to Uzu. His very impressive stamina and the focusing of his enormous chakra reserves allowed him to keep running for hours on end. He had to take a couple of breaks but those didn't last long since he would recover in a few minutes and then he would go straight to jumping along the tree branch path. Suffice to say, he was making really good time.

His eyes brightened and he grinned excitedly when he saw a light appear, signifying that he had finally reached his destination. He was almost there! The whiskered blonde jumped toward it with a sudden burst of speed, breaking through the trees and landing on the ground that was at a lower elevation than exit of the path. After bouncing on his feet a couple of times, Naruto steadied himself and stared at the massive entrance to the ruins of Uzushiogakure no Sato.

All of his excitement quickly dissipated at the sight of it, his facial features softening as he stared at the depressing scenery in front of him. There was a very large bridge that stood prominently, defying time as there didn't seem to be any sort of wear on it. The walkway of the bridge made three consecutive arches, each one separated by a massive stone pillar that rose out of the body of water surrounding most of the area. The bridge's condition was in complete contrast to what it led to, which was a huge, round island that was riddled with the decaying buildings that used to be the homes and businesses of the Uzumaki Clan.

He had been so excited to see where his mother used to live before she came to Konoha, but after seeing it like this… he felt more lugubrious than anything else. Naruto was able to recompose himself after shaking his head. He _had _been told that the village was destroyed so he was already prepared to see this. He began making his way over to the bridge so that he could get to the island, eager to explore the ruins.

As soon as he took one step onto the bridge, though, his eyes widened and his senses started screaming in alert. He quickly jumped backwards, dodging a small spray of shuriken that became imbedded into the walkway, having been thrown from somewhere near the pathway he just exited. He turned around and readied himself for combat, cursing mildly since he wasn't able to sense anyone around him. Naruto made a mental note to work on that.

"Who's there?!" Naruto yelled out to the woods but received nothing but silence. His eyes were darting around the area frantically, trying to notice any sign of movement.

The whiskered blonde finally got an answer a moment later, but not in the way he was expecting. Four stone slabs that easily towered over him popped right out of the ground on every side of him. Not wanting to find out what they were for, he rapidly focused his chakra into his legs and jumped upward, easily getting over the height of the slabs. It was a good thing he did too, because that was when they all rammed right into each other with such incredible power that he would've been crushed if he had stayed there. Rapid regeneration or not, if he took too much damage at once he was done for.

A sudden and intense heat began to creep onto his skin and the sound of crackling fire invaded his ears. Looking upward, he saw a massive fireball heading straight towards him. Naruto widened his eyes in fear because he wouldn't be able to dodge it while he was in the air. Thinking fast, he made the hand seal of his signature technique.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Replication Technique)!" The blonde shouted and a copy of him appeared in the air alongside him. It grabbed the original Naruto's arm and then threw him down to the ground just in the nick of time, having been destroyed not even a second after by the fireball.

Naruto landed next to the pile of rubble, taking out a kunai from his pouch while still trying to locate whoever it was that seemed to be trying to do him in. _I should've known something like this would happen_, He thought to himself. _But who the hell is after me?_ Choosing to take action instead of contemplating on this any longer, he formed the hand seal for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu once more, increasing the amount of chakra in order to summon _a lot _more copies of himself than he did previously.

As he did this, the two Root ninja observed how their attacks missed Naruto from their position on one of the large tree branches in the forest. The subordinate of the two, who wore a sparrow mask, was the first one to speak. "His speed and reaction time is better than I thought," He said.

The wolf masked leader gave a nod in reply. "Indeed." He then noticed what Naruto was doing. This was when an army of clones appeared in a plume of smoke, quickly surrounding the area in front of the entrance to Uzu. He was impressed with how many clones there were of the blonde. "Danzou-sama mentioned his penchant for Kage Bunshin but I was unaware of how many he could summon at one time."

"It won't matter," Sparrow said while using his hands to form the snake seal. "They're all bunched together so it shouldn't be hard to trap him. Doton: Tsuchi Kairō (Earth Release: Earth Corridor)!"

Naruto was able to sense a fluctuation of chakra coming from a minute spot in the forest. Before he could have his clones head over to it, the ground rumbled around them. Not even a second later did it rise into the air, surrounding him and a large group of his clones with its wide circumference. They were now imprisoned inside a cavern, the walls being maybe one or two stories tall and loomed over them in an intimidating fashion. There happened to be an opening at the top that looked just big enough for a person to fit through.

However, before he could even think of using his chakra to run up the walls and escape, he heard the familiar sound of his clones being destroyed on the outside of the cavern. A shadow appeared at the opening after this, causing the whiskered blonde to look up at it. He saw a person that was garbed in ANBU-like gear and wearing a wolf mask over his face, his hands going through a quick series of seals before stopping on tiger.

On the area of his mask where his mouth was supposed to be, a small section slid to the side and created a gap so that his mouth was visible. No sooner had Naruto seen that did the masked man open his mouth wide after he yelled out his technique. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!"

A massive orb of fire shot out from his mouth and headed straight towards Naruto and his clones, the walls of earth becoming enveloped by the jutsu and making the cavern simulate an oven, any clones that were near the flames being instantly destroyed. Panic raced through him as he tried to find a way out. If he didn't… then he was going to be burned alive.

* * *

(Konoha- Elder Council Meeting Chambers)

Danzou looked out of the window in the room, staring down to see the many villagers that were in jubilant rejoice. Ever since they had found out that the Kyuubi container was now completely out of the village, they had been celebrating as if it was some sort of holiday. Having seen their long time hatred for the boy, he knew that they had been waiting forever for this day to happen.

He turned around to meet the eyes of the other two people in the room, Koharu and Homura. They had all known each other for years, having gone on many missions together during their shinobi days. His trust in them was limited, but it was enough for him to ask for their assistance in his plan. For years, he'd held disdain for the way the village had been run. He had hoped that it would've changed somewhat after Hiruzen died during the Chunin Exams but it looks like Tsunade, who was once his student, was going to be the same type of leader.

That was why he planned on disposing of her, just like he tried to do with Hiruzen so many years ago. This time, however, he would not be caught. Hiruzen had foolishly spared him instead of executing him for treason, as he should have done. Once he was the Hokage, he would not be so lenient. And it looked like his goal of attaining that title would be accomplished very soon.

After all, the first stage of the plan, which involved getting rid of the Kyuubi container, had gone swimmingly. He only had to use the Sharingan he had transplanted into his right eye to make the Daimyo easier to sway about the issue. With its former wielder being Uchiha Shisui, who was acclaimed to be the most advanced Genjutsu user of his clan, it was like child's play for him to accomplish this. Now, they should be able to proceed without the Kyuubi container causing any problems.

"What is to be done next, Danzou?" The spectacled Homura asked.

"We won't be moving on to the next stage until I get a confirmation of the Jinchuuriki's death," The warhawk replied.

A frown appeared on the wrinkled face of the only female in the room. "Are you sure that we had to get rid of him?" Koharu asked. "He may not be a very talented shinobi but the powers given to him by the Kyuubi makes him a most valuable asset to the village."

On that, Danzou agreed, but he had a reason for getting rid of Naruto. "The boy has shown himself to be very tenacious and would only cause problems for us in the long run." He answered. "By the time the Kyuubi reforms after he dies, I'll make sure we have a proper candidate to be its container. Konoha will then have the weapon it was always supposed to have and no other village will be able to contest our power."

"What exactly is the next stage of the plan?" Homura questioned with a furrowed brow. "You haven't explained the entirety of it to us even though we've agreed wholeheartedly to follow you."

The bandaged warhawk nodded, acknowledging this. "That you have," He said. "But I will only be divulging the plan stage by stage. We are committing treason against the current Hokage's dictatorship. The possibility of it being compromised is lessened greatly if I keep it this way." Koharu and Homura thought on this for a few moments before they nodded.

Homura went over to one of the couches in the room and sat down to make himself comfortable. "Then I suppose we will just have to wait for now," He said before he frowned at Danzou. "Are you sure it will so easy to have Uzumaki killed? His tenaciousness happens to be the very key to the many of his victories. Like with Hyuuga Neji and the Jinchuuriki from Suna, Gaara."

Danzou just waved a dismissive hand, doubting that the boy would be among the living for much longer. "The ninja I sent are very capable. With his skills, he won't stand a chance against them. Of this, I can assure you…"

* * *

(Uzushiogakure Entrance)

Wolf watched the flames of his jutsu shoot out of the opening of the earth cavern like a geyser, the small section of his mask that had opened so he could use his technique sliding back closed as he did. He was reminded of a volcano that was erupting, except it wasn't lava that was spouting from a crater. It was a constant stream of fire that was created by one of his jutsu. And even though that stream was inches away from him, he wasn't bothered by the heat since he'd grown used to such temperatures. He'd been using Katon jutsu for years after all.

Eventually, the flames stopped so he took the chance to peer inside the cavern and see what became of his target. There was a lot of smoke inside of it, most likely made from the destruction of all of Naruto's clones and the fireball he had sent at the blonde. The smoke shrouded the cavern like a hazy vapor that hindered his visibility somewhat. He focused some chakra into his eyes to slightly enhance his eyesight and continued his search.

The wolf masked ninja was only able to see the charred, blackened walls of earth that helped form the cavern. His target was nowhere in sight. After searching a bit more, he saw a very wide hole in the wall on the opposite side of the forest pathway. He was perplexed when he saw this, wondering how Naruto had been able to make it in the first place. There was no time to think on this since he had to immediately lower his level to dodge a vicious kick being aimed at his head. He waited as the leg of the blonde passed over his head before he acted. Once it was, he pivoted his body while staying in the crouched position he was now in and then reached a hand out, grabbing onto Naruto's ankle with a tight grip.

Prepared for this possibility, Naruto attempted to get out by taking the kunai he was wielding and used it to slash at the hand that the masked shinobi had on his ankle. The sharp edge of the kunai wasn't able to hit its mark, having been stopped when Wolf caught him by the wrist with his free hand, the strength of the grip causing the blonde to wince slightly.

"Got you," Wolf said to him. "I don't know how you escaped but you're much too slow to be able to execute a proper sneak attack on me."

"We'll see about that!" Naruto grinned widely just before he vanished in a plume of smoke, revealing that he was a clone.

Wolf didn't move a single inch when Naruto and another clone appeared in the air on his left and right, each one with a Rasengan in their hands and were set on a collision course in order to hit their enemy from both sides with their technique. With a loud battle cry, they extended their arms forward to close the distance even faster. Still, the wolf masked man didn't move or even try to counter the two blondes. That was because he didn't need to…

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw his clone get destroyed so quickly he didn't have time to process this because this was when Sparrow materialized above his head, the masked subordinate's leg stretching upward as it prepared to hammer down on the Kyuubi container. Naruto was barely able to turn his head and see another ninja trying to kill him before he cried out in pain as a foot made contact with the side of his face, the strength behind the kick so great that it sent him flying downward.

His body bounced off of the outside wall of the earth jutsu and hit the ground hard when he landed on his back. Having the air knocked out him, Naruto was unable to react in time to the next attack from his enemies. All he felt was just a searing pain emanating from his chest. Looking downward, he gasped when he saw the blade of what seemed to be a tanto stabbed into him. The blade happened to be long enough and had apparently had enough force behind it to pierce straight through his body and into the ground he was lying on, effectively pinning him to the earth. Naruto was then able to see the wolf masked ninja's hands were still resting on it to keep a firm pressure and make sure that his tanto stayed right where it was.

"You've lasted much longer than I first estimated," Wolf stated while staring down at the blonde through his mask. "Though, I do commend you for being able to break out of my partner's earth jutsu. Most likely with that sphere-like technique you tried to hit me with just now, correct?" He shook his head. "The mistake you made that shall now cost you your life was that you attempted to attack me yourself, probably because the damage output of that jutsu is increased when it's done by you and not the clone."

Naruto grit his teeth and coughed, a small speckle of blood falling onto his jacket. "W-who are you…?" He questioned with a raspy voice.

"None of your concern," Sparrow answered. "It wouldn't matter even if we did tell you since you'll no longer be alive in the next few minutes." He formed the bird seal with his hands before shouting the incantation to his jutsu. "Doton: Doryūsō (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)!" Naruto's bloodcurdling scream echoed into the air as his body was perforated by multiple spikes of earth that rose up from the ground beneath him.

Absolutely agonizing pain was all he felt at the moment. There was a spike going through each of his limbs, damaging the major areas of movement. Blood began to pool around his body from the injuries, staining both the ground and his jumpsuit at the same time. As it did, he idly wondered why they hadn't just killed him with the technique. They were more than capable of doing it at any time and he wouldn't be able to stop them now. He guessed that maybe they were trying to make him suffer by experiencing the immense pain of having his arms and legs become useless. Even if he were able to get these spikes out, he wouldn't be able to move for who knows how long since his healing factor could only work so fast.

With the situation as it was right now, he was going to have to tap into the Kyuubi's chakra. It was his last chance. He hoped he would be able to stay in control of himself like he did when he fought against Sasuke and not when he gave into his rage while battling Haku, where he became hell-bent on killing the Hyoton (Ice Release) user.

Sadly, the two Root ninja knew who they were dealing with and that he'd yet to try and summon the chakra of the demon fox. So, before Naruto could try to use it, Wolf took his tanto out. Not even a second after he did that, another sharp earth spike burst through the whiskered blonde's chest. Naruto wasn't even able to scream as blood poured out of his mouth, his consciousness waning from the massive amount of damage and pain he was going through.

_No…_ He thought while his eyelids slowly began to close. _Not like this. I… have… to…_ He was unable to finish his mental sentence when he fell unconscious.

Seeing his body slacken, Sparrow stopped the flow of chakra he was putting into his jutsu. The spikes retracted back into the ground, leaving gaping holes in Naruto's body in the areas they had struck him. He went over to the blonde and knelt down on his knee, putting his index and middle finger on his neck. "He's still alive. Impressive…"

"Pick him up," Wolf ordered and turned towards the bridge leading to Uzu. "We were going to throw his body in the water anyway. The whirlpools in this area will save us both time and energy disposing of him."

The subordinate did as he was told and they walked along the bridge until they were in the middle of it. Without wasting another moment, Sparrow threw Naruto over the edge and into the sea. He was soon caught in one of the powerful currents of the raging whirlpools in the water, pulling his limp, seemingly lifeless body towards it. Naruto slowly followed the rotation of the deadly, spiraling vortex until he finally reached the middle and was dragged beneath the surface.

"There's no way he would be able to survive that," Sparrow said to his commander. "The whirlpools of Uzu no Kuni were notorious for stopping any sort of naval attack on their country due to how deadly and fierce they are."

"No time for history lessons," Wolf replied back. "We have to get back to Danzou-sama and tell him of the boy's fate." The two of them made a half-tiger seal and started to focus their chakra to Shunshin (Body Flicker) out of the area.

Before they were able to initiate the jutsu, they were stopped by a red and white blur that crashed into them, hard. The two Root shinobi were sent flying backward, the force and speed of their bodies making it impossible for them to try and recover themselves in the air. They then crashed onto the middle platform that was created by one of the stone pillars connecting the arches of the bridge, their bodies lying right next to each other.

Whoever had gotten the drop on the two Root ninja didn't give them a single inch, placing a kunai right up against their necks so that they wouldn't be able to escape. Once they had regained their sense of awareness, Wolf and Sparrow saw the person that had attacked them, causing their eyes to widen behind their masks.

Jiraiya glared down at them with an intimidating presence. "Where. Is. Naruto?" He asked in a tone that had no room for nonsense and trickery. They wouldn't like it if he wasn't given a good answer.

Not speaking a single word, Wolf and Sparrow shared a glance at each other through the holes in their masks. They then returned to looking straight up at the Sannin, a grave yet resolved expression adorning their faces, although no one would be able to tell this for obvious reasons. Jiraiya was unable to stop the two as they lifted their hands above their chest and formed the ram seal. As soon as the seal was made, Wolf and Sparrow combusted into flames, killing themselves instantly.

"Shit!" Jiraiya cursed while jumping back to a safe distance. He should've known that they'd have some sort of suicide technique handy in case they were caught. Though, he'd never seen one quite like this before. It didn't really matter, however. He was now frustrated that he wasn't able to get any answers out of them.

The Toad Sannin had a bad feeling about leaving Naruto to travel alone. So a few hours after he and Tsunade told him about his exile, he went to the blonde's apartment so that he could go with him. He would at least be able to make sure that he'd gotten to Kumo safely that way. Unfortunately, when he got to Naruto's apartment, he discovered that the blonde was already gone. Worriedly, he immediately headed out of the village to try and catch up with his student.

He had almost passed by the path to Uzu but he noticed a set of footprints on the ground in front of the sign. They had been indented into the earth pretty deeply, which told him that someone must've used chakra to enhance a jump. Instantly, he knew that they belonged to Naruto because he was one of the few who understood how the kid thought. He must've wanted to see the birthplace of Kushina as soon as he saw the path. Jiraiya went as fast as he could in order to get to Naruto and make sure he was okay.

But it appears he was too late…

The two shinobi he identified to be Root ninja had gotten to the blonde first. And from the looks of things, it wasn't good. He was sure that he'd sensed Naruto's chakra just a few seconds ago, but then it just disappeared. The silver-haired Sannin walked over to one of the rails so that could get a better view of the sea beneath the bridge. It was entirely possible they threw him into the water. However, his efforts were futile as there was no sign of the whiskered Jinchuuriki.

Jiraiya clenched one of his fists and slammed it down onto the rail. "Damn it!" He cursed loudly before his shoulders slackened, a frown adorning his face. All he could do right now was hope that Naruto was still alive, and make it to Kumo. "Naruto…"

* * *

(A few days afterward on the coast of Kumogakure…)

Samui was beginning to get tired of being sent on missions that required her to guard a section of the border. She would much rather be doing any other type of mission but that would mean that she would have to complain to the Raikage. And she was never the kind of person to do that. It was simply not cool to do. Though, there was a first time for everything.

Right now, she was walking along the coastal area of Kumogakure. A nice breeze blew against her skin and made the shoulder length bangs of her short, blonde hair sway along with it. The smell of salt water went into her nose with every inhalation, the source being the expansive and seemingly endless sea in front of her. She wished she could take off her high boots and feel the cold, soft sand on her feet. Sadly, she was on a mission and she wasn't the sort to shirk her duty.

After she made her way down a couple of yards down the sandy shoreline, she smelled something different in the air. It was a smell she was all too familiar with. Blood. Out of her peripheral vision, she then noticed a stream of blood in the water. She got out her tanto and followed the sanguine liquid, just in case it may have been some kind of ruse. The blonde haired kunoichi soon found where the blood was coming from.

Her blue eyes saw the form of a blonde teenager in a torn up orange jumpsuit. She put her tanto away and went over to him. Placing two fingers on his neck, she was astonished when she found a pulse. He was still alive. Samui was surprised at this because his body looked as if it were thrown into a meat grinder. The guy was in really bad shape. Upon closer inspection, her eyes widened slightly when she saw the holes and the rest of his in his body gradually close up, the muscle and tissue in his arms, legs, and torso being regenerated right before her eyes.

That must've been how he had survived this long, seeing as how the blood around him looked to be a couple days old at least from the particularly metallic, dry smell it was giving off.

"I'll have to get you some place safe and get you healed up," Samui spoke to the unconscious blonde on the sand even though she knew he wouldn't respond. "It just wouldn't be cool of me if I left you here."

* * *

That wraps it up for chapter two, everyone!

I'm sure you all noticed that the story didn't take a year to be updated, right? Well, that's because I'm really trying to buckle down and produce these chapters for you guys. Speaking of which, I hope that you liked it. I haven't written a fight scene in a while so hopefully it didn't turn out terribly.

Oh, I'm sure all of you noticed how one-sided the fight between Naruto and the Root ninja was. Well, that's because it was supposed to be. I noticed a review in the last Namikaze of Lightning from LD1449, a fellow writer who has quite a few good stories, who said that the Root member was very incompetent. I reread that scene and saw that he was right. So I changed that with this one because I know Danzou would make sure there was no room for error with attempting to kill Naruto off. Their skill level and number advantage were able to overwhelm Naruto pretty fast because it wouldn't be realistic for him to be able to fend them off at his current level.

Now, I'd like to do something I haven't done in a while and respond to some questions you guys put in the reviews for last chapter.

Yes, the pairing is still going to be planned as Naruto/Samui. I'd be remiss if I sent Naruto to Kumo and not have him eventually get into a relationship with her. Also, this isn't an 'official' harem story. I want to make the interactions between the characters as natural as possible so if a girl falls for Naruto it will be because that's how it turned out. So, I wouldn't bother with recommended girls for him to be paired with if I were you.

Lastly, I'd just like to ask you guys to leave me some feedback on what you liked or didn't like on the chapter. I always take suggestions from my readers and I like to hear what you guys think of my writing.

I'll see you all on the next chapter of Namikaze of Lightning: Rise of the Storm! Ja ne!


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